Consumers are very familiar with soap products for cleaning in daily life. Depending on the applications, soap products can be divided into two categories: detergents mainly for cleaning cloth, and detergents mainly for cleaning human skin. The facial, hand and body soaps include, but are not limited to skin care soaps. Different consumers have different needs for performance of soap products. With respect to cleaning skin, the skin feeling after cleaning is as important as cleaning power. Currently, almost all of the bactericidal, fungicidal hand soaps, facial cleansers, and body wash soaps on the market contain synthetic bactericidal and/or fungicidal agents as the main bactericidal and/or fungicidal components. Consumers sometimes experience allergic reactions, such as dry skin, itching, stinging, etc. after using these products. Therefore, there is a great need in the field to develop abactericidal, fungicidal skin care soap containing a natural bactericidal or fungicidal component that will not cause skin allergic reaction.
Zanthoxylum schinifolium is an economic plant that grows only in China. It is a species in the Rutaceae family as Zanthoxylum bungeanum Maxim that is a commonly used spice. However, Zanthoxylum schinifolium and Zanthoxylum bungeanum Maxim are different species in the Rutaceae family. Zanthoxylum schinifolium is also an important spice and an important ingredient in Chinese medicine. The shells of Zanthoxylum schinifolium seeds contain rich content of volatile essential oil. The major components in the essential oil are linalool, D-lemonene and terpene alcohol, etc. Zanthoxylum schinifolium essential oil has an excellent bactericidal effect. Based on the presently available research results, Zanthoxylum schinifolium essential oils extracted by various methods inhibit Staphylococcus aureus, Candida tropicalis, Candida albicans, White ground bacteria, Aspergillus fumigatus, and Aspergillus niger at varying degrees.
Zanthoxylum schinifolium nut oil is an edible vegetable oil, which can be extracted from the nuts of Zanthoxylum schinifolium seeds by modern oil production processes. Zanthoxylum schinifolium nut oil contains rich content of unsaturated fatty acids, in which α-linolenic acid content is up to above 33.0%. Unsaturated fatty acids are essential to the human body. With respect to α-linolenic acid, it is also called “brain gold.” In addition to its health benefits, when added into consumer goods, α-linolenic acid has an excellent fungicidal effect.
Under the present spice processing practices, Zanthoxylum schinifolium seeds are either used for extracting Zanthoxylum schinifolium essential oil only, and the edible oil in the nuts are discarded; or Zanthoxylum schinifolium seeds are shelled and crushed for extracting Zanthoxylum schinifolium essential oil. The crushed shells contain rich content of essential oil but are discarded. Both practices cause a huge waste of resources. Therefore, the question as to how to make the best use the oils in Zanthoxylum schinifolium seeds is an important one for processing Zanthoxylum schinifolium seeds.
Currently, a bactericidal, fungicidal and anti-allergenic Zanthoxylum schinifoliu skin care soap and method of preparation are lacking.